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US War With Iran; Ebola Outbreak; Remembering Kyle Busch; Holiday Travel; "Killin' Time". Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 23, 2026 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:14]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN BREAKING NEWS.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and we continue to follow breaking news on what could be a consequential weekend for the US war with Iran.

Today, President Trump said he will likely decide whether to resume military action against Iran by tomorrow after he reviews that country's latest peace proposal. He told Axios in a phone call today it was"solid 50/50" chance that he could reach a good deal with Tehran or else, "blow them to kingdom come." Trump says he will meet with his top advisers later on today to review the latest proposal put together by mediators in Tehran.

He also is holding a call with Gulf leaders. CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us right now from the White House. Julia, what more are you learning?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While there is some action taking place here at the White House today, it's also a bit of a familiar pattern. The main question is, will the United States and Iran be able to come to an agreement to bring the conflict to an end? And as of right now, there is not a concrete answer to that question.

We do know that advisers, they're having that call, that meeting with Gulf leaders. In fact, our team spotted Vice President JD Vance arriving here this afternoon. We have reached out to the White House for any details where that call stands at this point. But taking a bit of a step back here, just a few weeks ago now, the United States has sent a proposal to Iran to try and bring the conflict to an end.

Iran responded. And Trump made it very clear that he was not happy with that response. In fact, he called it totally unacceptable. He said that after he read the first line of that response, he knew that it did not go far enough in addressing his red lines, including Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Now, Trump has said that he could decide by Sunday, by tomorrow, to restart military action in Tehran. He has also left open the possibility, remained fairly optimistic, that there could also be an agreement to bring the war to an end. He did give several brief interviews with various news outlets earlier today. He told CBS News that there is a draft agreement out there, that he

has read that draft agreement, but he would not confirm if he had approved of it, if he had signed off on it. And then while speaking with Axios, as you pointed out, he said there was a 50/50 chance of how this was going to go, that it could be a good deal, or that he would "blow them to kingdom come." That is how he framed what those next steps might look like.

Even earlier in the day, we did hear from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is traveling right now, and he said that they could be getting closer to a framework agreement after the mediators from Qatar and Pakistan did have meetings in Tehran, adding that there might be an update coming today, tomorrow, or even in the coming days.

I want you to hear exactly how he framed that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, US SECRETARY OF STATE: There's been some progress done, some progress made. Even as I speak to you now, there's some work being done. There is a chance that whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple of days, we may have something to say. But this issue needs to be solved, as the President said, one way or the other.

Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The straits need to be open without tolls. They need to turn over their enriched uranium.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So as we hear from members of the administration, the things that have remained the same is that they do believe this problem needs to be solved and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. As of right now, they say that those diplomatic efforts are ongoing. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, thank you so much. Joining me right now to talk more about these developments is Illinois Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley. Congressman, great to see you.

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Thanks. Good to be back.

WHITFIELD: All right. So are you confident the White House can reach a deal with Iran, or do you think the President could resume the war as soon as tomorrow if he doesn't like Tehran's peace proposal?

QUIGLEY: Yes. I mean, ask me in 24 hours. The President could change his mind by that time three times. It's just very hard to tell. I mean, the problem he has is, he could probably get a deal to end the war, but it's not going to give him everything that they want.

The fact is, Iran was, as you know, in compliance with the JCPOA. They weren't moving forward toward a bomb, developing the bomb. So now we've spent a billion dollars a day to prevent them from doing this, when they could have just gone along with the existing agreement. And the strait was open before the war and now it's not.

[15:05:03] So what is victory going back to where we were in the first place, at the lives that were lost, the cost to the American people. Gas I saw in Chicago today was $6 a gallon, Inflation was at 3.8 percent. So the President has to make a decision. But at some point in time, he's got to realize that he may only be getting back to where we were before.

WHITFIELD: And is it your feeling that it might be a deal very similar to the JCPOA? The only difference is it'll be, you know, Trump's fingerprints or signature on it as opposed to President Obama's.

QUIGLEY: Well, you go back to the JCPOA, there was an additional benefit there. And I don't know what the President's going to get in this regard, but we had independent analysis of what was going on that could ascertain that, whether or not the Iranians were in compliance with this. So at this point in time, what was this about?

I mean, originally, the night that this began, this was, as he told the Iranian people, about their liberation. Well, regime change isn't going to happen without an all out war. They're not going to ever give up their nuclear program for good, or without a negotiation unless there's an all out war, a war against a 1.5 million man army. So the President's got us into a very difficult situation, a very costly and a very bloody one.

WHITFIELD: You had called for the President's removal after he previously threatened Iran in a Truth Social post saying that a whole civilization will die tonight, the President's words. And now the President is warning that he could, I'm quoting here, blow Iran to kingdom come. So if, and this is if he doesn't like the peace plan.

I mean, what do you make of this kind of rhetoric if he's also in the midst of negotiations?

QUIGLEY: I think it says to the rest of the world that our foreign policy and maybe the President are a little unhinged. It's scattershot. And again today, tomorrow it'd all be very different, you know, how can people count on us?

It is also the best lesson in foreign policy. To have a friend, you need to be one. When we needed help with the strait, the President needed help, you know, very few wanted to come forward to help because we have tariffed our friends, we've threatened Greenland, we've told NATO they're on their own, the list goes on and on. So at some point in time, we're far less safe acting alone in the world.

When it comes time to needing help, when a president acts like this, we're not going to get that help and we will be left safe.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Congressman Mike Quigley, thank you so much for being back with us.

QUIGLEY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now to the severe weather threat facing millions of Americans this holiday weekend. It started on Friday when a tornado touched down in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. A driver's dashcam recorded the moment the twister crossed the interstate as you see right there. And another suspected tornado was captured north of Birmingham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mike (ph), is that a tornado? Look at it. Is that a tornado?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Much of the US is getting hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms this weekend. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the conditions.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is quite a soggy forecast for the holiday weekend. And for some of these areas, it's going to be multiple days of high end rain chances, especially across the southern tier of and also into areas of the Mid Atlantic and the Northeast. We've already had ongoing showers and thunderstorms today.

They will continue through the evening. You've got some pretty widespread showers going on across the Northeast, but a lot of these showers and thunderstorms really kind of fire it up this afternoon and will continue through the evening hours and overnight timeline, too. Now, Sunday morning, you're still dealing with some of the remnants of those storms that develop later on this evening, but also still, look at a lot of that moisture backfilling in across portions of the Mid Atlantic and the Northeast, which means day two of more of the rain.

The best areas when we talk about the potential for flooding are going to be the green shaded areas here for the remainder of the day Saturday. And then Sunday, you'll notice it shifts, but not by much. Still some of these areas that had the potential for flooding today

will yet again have the potential for flooding once again Sunday and potentially even Monday, too.

Widespread rainfall totals likely about one to three inches. There will be some spots that could pick up four or five or even six, especially in some of those heavier downpours you get with the thunderstorms. But keep in mind, it's also because this is on top of what they've already had the last few days. In many of these areas of the Southeast, the ground is already saturated, so the more moisture we add is just going to exacerbate the flooding concerns.

[15:10:00]

All of those rain showers and cloud cover are also keeping temperatures on the cool side. We look at Washington, DC, New York and Boston all well below where they normally would be. But we do finally see them rebound by the time we get into next week, especially Tuesday and Wednesday.

It's quite the opposite though, on the other end of the country. So New York, for example, we start off cool, warm right back up. But take Seattle, for example. It's a very nice weekend, lots of sunshine, mild temperatures, but then we see the drop off take place on Memorial Day and we don't see those temperatures spike back up until the end of the week.

WHITFIELD: All right. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. And don't forget, the CNN weather app is here. Get expert coverage every day from our weather team. Download the app on iOS, all right.

Still to come, high gas prices could put a damper on summer travel plans. We'll hear from some drivers. Plus, the new outbreak of Ebola is also a rising concern for many fliers, what you need to know.

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[15:15:40]

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, Uganda's health ministry has confirmed three more cases of Ebola there, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in that country to five. At least 177 deaths are thought to be linked to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With nearly 756 suspected cases.

Angry residents in eastern DRC attacked and burned a tent that acted as a treatment center. It's the second such attack this week. No one was hurt, but 18 people with suspected infections fled the facility and are now unaccounted for. CNN's Larry Madowo has more on the first fire at an Ebola treatment center that was started by relatives of an Ebola victim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tensions ran high at this hospital treating Ebola patients in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This local politician was on the scene.

LUC MAMBELE, VICE PRESIDENT OF POLITICAL PARTY A2RC (through translation): I'm at Rwampara Hospital. We're locked down here. Look at the protesters. They're angry. They're setting fire to the tents of Ebola patients because they want to forcibly retrieve the bodies.

MADOWO: Residents grew angry after health authorities refused to hand over the body of a young man who died from Ebola this father says.

LEOPOLD KATABUKA, RWAMPARA RESIDENT (through translation): We came to bury my son. And then we saw these people coming in numbers asking for the body of someone called Eli (ph). They started throwing stones and set fire to the tents, and my son's body was left burned there. I don't know what to do.

MADOWO: Police were quickly called in to control the scene after protesters set fire to tents where patients suspected to have Ebola were being isolated, according to eyewitness accounts. And while health workers have been working hard to fight off the virus, a second battle has also been underway, the fight against disinformation.

MAMBELE (through translation): This lack of communication, this absence of communication from the health authorities in the province is what allowed rumors to take over. And it is what continues to this day. MADOWO: The key tension seeming to lie between the sanitary protocols

put in place by authorities and the wishes of the local community to uphold traditional burial rites.

The community wants to bury the dead with dignity, but Ebola often spreads at funerals. It's still under investigation, but even this current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is believed to stem from a super spreader event, a funeral on May 5th. That's because some people touch the corpse of the dead as a final farewell.

The fluids from the body of Ebola patients are still infectious. And that's why authorities in Ituri, the epicenter of this outbreak, have now said all funerals have to be carried out with strict protocols and they've banned all wakes.

In the region's capital, residents have been calling on their neighbors to take the virus more seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Yes, the message I would like to convey now to those listening to me right now. We are in the town of Bunya, and this affects us, too. We feel it. So what I tell people wherever they are is to know that they have to protect their families, to protect those close to them, because if I become infected, that means my family is infected, too.

MADOWO; The World Health Organization also raised the alarm once again on Friday.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL: We are now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at the regional level and low at global level.

MADOWO: The WHO warning that a potential vaccine may still be as far as nine months away, news that is sure to deal another blow to communities struggling to come to terms with so much loss already. Larry Madowo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Meanwhile, the US is now expanding the list of airports that can screen people traveling from the infected area. International airports in Atlanta and Houston, along with Dulles Airport of Washington, DC have been cleared to receive those passengers. Atlanta and Houston are hosting the DRC's national soccer team during the FIFA World cup matches in June. And the White House told ESPN that the team must isolate for 21 days before entering the US.

[15:20:00]

Travel editor Peter Greenberg is joining us right now. Peter, great to see you. What should people you know who are traveling to these airports that are also screening passengers from Ebola infected areas know?

PETER GREENBERG, TRAVEL EDITOR: Well, what the public health officials are doing, they're trying to apply the lessons from COVID to actual air travel. And that's why they're restricting to those three airports, sort of a choke point for all the testing and screening procedures that have to happen for anybody traveling from Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan. And that was a lesson they didn't learn or apply during COVID And that's going to help them isolate things.

WHITFIELD: How do you see Ebola impacting global travel? Not necessarily going, you know, to Central Africa or East Africa, but just global travel in general. Will it be top of mind for people?

GREENBERG: It will certainly be a top of concern, but they're not fearful yet because the incidents have been so few and far between. The same thing about the hantavirus that we had on the cruise ship lately in the South Atlantic. What the cruise lines are doing right now are intense screening procedures in terms of asking folks if they've spent any time in South America prior to boarding their ship. And that way they can at least ask them additional questions about symptomatic issues.

But bottom line right now, the good news is they may not have been able to isolate it within those countries, but they actually can control the flow outbound from those countries.

WHITFIELD: If you are planning to travel abroad, I mean, what's your advice to people to keep themselves safe, or should they be rethinking their travel plans altogether? What do you think?

GREENBERG: Well, I got back from Uganda not too long ago, I didn't feel any problem there. But the bottom line is it's basic personal hygiene and understanding where you're going to go. If we go back to the idea of the SARS virus in Asia, you know, if you spend any time on a chicken farm, you might have had a problem.

The real question is, where are you spending your time in those communities? Are you in urban areas or are you in rural areas? And that makes a big difference.

WHITFIELD: OK. You just went to Uganda. I mean, what were some of the precautions that you took? And obviously that was before it was known that there was this outbreak. But, you know, just because you're a very experienced traveler, what do you do to protect yourself?

GREENBERG: Well, by the way, I didn't take any precaution because there were none required at that point. I go back to the days of the old yellow health card where you had to have all your immunizations listed on that card. Those days are long since passed. But I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

But what I will tell you is talk to your physician because your own personal medical history and, you know, some vulnerabilities that you might have to protect yourself from being at least more susceptible to it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Peter Greenberg, always great to have you. Thank you so much.

GREENBERG: You got it, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. And straight ahead, new details on the shocking death of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch. What his family is now saying about what cut his life so tragically short.

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[15:27:29]

(MUSIC)

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, part of my college days soundtrack. That's the music of hip hop pioneer Rob Base from the popular 1988 hit "It Takes Two." He was half of the Harlem duo Rob Base and DJ Ez Rock, whose blend of hip hop and house music helped launch both genres into the mainstream.

Base, whose real name is Robert Ginyard, has died at the age of 59 after a battle with cancer. A statement on his Instagram page says, quote, beyond the stage, he was a loving father, family man, friend and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten, for certain.

We're also learning new details on the sudden passing of racing superstar Kyle Busch at the age of 41. His family has announced that the two time NASCAR Cup Series champion died from complications of severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.

As CNN's Dianne Gallagher reports, fans are remembering the legendary racer known as Rowdy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think about his kids, his wife, that's hard to think about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My prayers go out to the family.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN ANCHOR: The sudden death of Kyle Busch at just 41 years old shattering the racing world. The two time NASCAR Cup Series champion's family announced just hours before his death Thursday that he'd been hospitalized with a severe illness and would not be racing this weekend. The AP, citing several sources, reports that on Wednesday Bush became unresponsive while testing a racing simulator.

CNN has obtained a 911 call made from a motorsports training center in Concord, North Carolina Wednesday at 5:30pm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got an individual that's shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he's going to pass out, is produced a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.

GALLAGHER: NASCAR announced Busch's passing just 24 hours later. Less than two weeks ago during a race, Busch radioed for medical assistance.

KYLE BUSCH, NASCAR RACER: Can somebody try to find Bill Heisel? He's a Hendrick (ph) doctor guy. Tell him I need him after the race, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, do you want Mr. Bill at your car or at your bus after the race?

BUSCH: Bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to need a shot, copy. He's going to -- he'll be at your bus.

GALLAGHER: The broadcast noted he'd been battling a severe sinus infection.

[15:30:00]

STEVE O'DONNELL, CEO, NASCAR: To me, Kyle Busch just defines what it means to be a racer in NASCAR. Everything about it, the fire, the greatness, the heart that sometimes you rarely saw, the sport was truly lucky to have him.

GALLAGHER: The winningest driver in NASCAR history with 234 victories across the top three series, Busch was a polarizing figure nicknamed Rowdy or KFB, he often relished in being the villain. Fans either fiercely loved or hated Busch, but everyone had an opinion.

The Las Vegas native won the cup series title in 2019 and in 2015, famously after breaking bones in both legs in a crash the first week of that season. Tributes pouring in from all over the sports world and beyond. Athletes, former teammates, rivals and others remembering Rowdy.

This emotional post from teammate Austin Dillon, who wrote on Facebook, "I can't thank you enough, KB. You're the ultimate racer and my favorite teammate and driver of all time. I always felt like I had your back and you had mine. I love you brother."

But Busch's enduring off track legacy family. His wife Samantha and two children, Brexton and Lennix, were his world. The couple struggled with infertility for years. In 2015, they started the Bundle of Joy Fund to increase awareness and help others offset the financial burden of fertility treatments they told the Cameron Hall show.,

BUSCH: When we were starting to go through it, we were trying to research and look about it, and find out some information and well, what does this mean? Where do we go? And there wasn't a whole lot out there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And a bow in front of the fans.

GALLAGHER: Just one week ago, Busch took his signature victory bow after winning the truck race and reflected on his career.

AMANDA BUSICK, SPORTS REPORTER: Why do these moments never get old, Kyle?

BUSCH: I mean, because you never know when the last one is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:28]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following breaking developments in Southern California. That's where emergency officials are racing to control a highly toxic and flammable chemical tank at risk of exploding after it started overheating. Right now, the evacuation zone has nearly doubled to 79,000 residents across parts of Orange County. Earlier today, a top fire official gave an update saying the temperature inside the tank has actually climbed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG COVEY, INCIDENT COMMANDER, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: Yesterday afternoon I did report that we had some positive intel, and that the tanks were stable and we were keeping the temperature cool and actually we thought we were reducing it a little bit. Unfortunately, I had to say thought.

Those temperatures we are doing is via a drone doing readings on the external of the vessel. Unfortunately, I do have to report that the temperature was 90 degrees. Yesterday morning, it was 77 degrees when we backed out. It's been averaged about a degree an hour increasing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And last hour I spoke with a fire captain who said that while they are working to avoid a catastrophic explosion, they are hopeful they can get the liquid chemical to solidify from the outside. We'll bring you the latest on this toxic chemical threat, all right.

Sticker Shock at the pump on this Memorial Day weekend as Americans fill their tanks amid surging gas prices. But despite the cost, this is shaping up to be a, a very busy travel season. AAA says more than 39 million people are expected to drive at least 50 miles from home. And as gas prices near four year highs, GasBuddy estimates Americans could spend about $2 billion more on gas this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkiewicz spoke with drivers at a New Jersey gas station.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKIEWICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's expected to be a record breaking Memorial Day weekend. Forty five million Americans expected to travel this weekend according to AAA. About 39 million of those people expected to drive, stopping at gas stations across the country just like this one here in New Jersey

Heading into the holiday weekend, the national average is $4.55 a gallon. That is up more than 50 cents for a month ago and that is up more than $1.50 since the war with Iran started at the end of February. Now this is the second most expensive Memorial Day weekend for gas prices since 2022, and prices were $4.61 heading into that holiday weekend. That was when the war with Russia and Ukraine broke out.

But I've been speaking to drivers all day who have really been in a couple different buckets. Some saying that they're not going to be traveling at all, some saying that they're just going to bite the bullet and others saying they are going to be making changes to the way that they travel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not really like traveling a lot because of the gas prices so you know, just limiting my travel around New Jersey because it's too much, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you know, depending on how expensive gas gets, like probably I'd have to, you know, cut down on how much I'm going. I'd like to go like three or four times, but might have to be a little less this year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw it was $4.62 and I passed a few places that were like $4.40. So I was like, I just kind of have to bite the bullet and get it here. But wish I didn't have to. For sure it'd be nice if it was like $3.50 again. I've been thinking about the gas prices, joking that we needed to take out a loan for the weekend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:40:01]

YURKIEWICZ: Now for the first time in nearly four years, all 50 states now have an average gas price of more than $4 a gallon. There are seven states that have an average of more than $5 a gallon. Think Hawaii, Oregon and California.

But this is all happening because of the war with Iran. The Strait of Hormuz, that critical passageway for 20 percent of the world's oil, has effectively been closed down and that has pushed oil prices up and then gas price. According to GasBuddy, if things stay as they are between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we could see an average of about $4.80 a gallon. Of course, if things were to change in the Middle East, prices could come down.

Now, we are not approaching that $5.02 record that was set in 2022, but we are certainly creeping up there. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: My goodness, all right. Thank you so much for Vanessa Yurkiewicz. A dramatic ending for what's being called the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. SpaceX is giant, 400 foot tall Starship took off from the company's facilities in Texas overnight. About an hour later, after losing one of its engines, the unmanned spacecraft completed its mostly successful test flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(INAUDIBLE) (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Cheers erupted among SpaceX staff as Starship not only survived reentry into Earth's atmosphere but managed to swing itself upright before exploding in a ball of fire in the Indian Ocean. They're happy about all of that. SpaceX hopes NASA will use starship to take astronauts to the moon later on this decade.

All right, straight ahead, country star Clint Black joins us live. There he is. He's going to talk about his book and so much more. He's sharing the childhood moments that shaped him to the hard won lessons and the legacy of his music.

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[15:46:49]

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WHITFIELD: That is, of course, the iconic smile and iconic sound of legendary country music, Clint Black. And that title track of his debut album is now the title of his long awaited and deeply personal memoir, "Killin' Time." It traces a Black's life and music career from a young struggling songwriter in Texas to a country mega superstar.

And guess what, there he is. Clint Black is joining us right now from Nashville. Oh my gosh, congratulations on this beautiful book. So great to have you today, this holiday weekend. How are you feeling?

CLINT BLACK, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: Feeling pretty good, like I just gave birth is how I imagine.

WHITFIELD: I bet it's like that. I wouldn't know. I haven't written a book yet, but something tells me it's a lot like that. I mean, this after your 20 million records sold, 22 number one career singles, a Grammy, numerous CMA, ACM and American Music Awards, even a star on the Hollywood walk of Fame. So, my goodness, you put all that together.

Tell me, what was the motivation, you know, behind sharing all of that, those high points and the vulnerabilities in this memoir?

BLACK: I have been telling a lot of these stories to my wife since we met, and she's been urging me to put them in a book. My manager came to me a little while back and he said, you need to tell your story. And I laughed and laughed. And eventually he got some help and had some people gang up on me, and convinced me I could do it and that I should do it.

And I thought, you know, my daughter is in her 20s. It'd be nice for her to have it. And a lot of my fans, you know, anyone interested, what is a career like mine. All the spotlight moments are glamorous. Being on TV with you, very glamorous, and yes.

But the things that are happening, the undertow of the business side and a personal life well lived, I think it's relatable. We all go through our troubles.

WHITFIELD: It really is. And relatable, too, you know, are some of the kind of frightening moments. You know, you open up your book talking about some frightening moments from, you know, possible kidnapping to, you know, coming too close to a water moccasin, which also explains, you know, kind of a long fear of closing your eyes, even when you wash your face.

And it really made me start thinking about how indelible childhood experiences really can linger and shape. But then tell me about the process, how you decided, you know, this is all very relevant and interesting, and it kind of, you know, rounds out, you know, the man that you are and all of your life journeys.

[15:50:12]

BLACK: Yes. Writing the book really helped me to see. And I was asked to put, a publisher asked me to put something in the book about who this guy is and why this guy is who he is. And it wasn't until I had the hindsight of the book. And some of the reviews, actually, I was able to see that my early childhood set me up for all of this.

The youngest of four boys, trying to keep up with them, pushing my way into my brother's band, and then selling newspaper subscriptions door to door six days a week for four years in my teens. I think that built a guy who could get those 10 years of starving in the clubs.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. And then it led to one of the more powerful moments that you talk about in your book, 1989. You know, when you receive a package in the mail and you write, if you don't mind, I'll read a little bit from your book. I should probably have you do it, but I didn't give you a warning of which page to look for.

So here goes, you said. I walked back to my bedroom and closed the door. I sat on the soft shag carpet to open the box. As I peeled back the protective cardboard layer, I. I hoped this was what I had been waiting for. After nearly 10 years of dreaming, finally, there it was, "Clint Black: Killin' Time." Inside that box was the proof I needed so desperately, proof I wasn't dreaming all of this, proof it was all real.

My photo looking back at me from the COVID of a vinyl record. On top of the stack of albums, there were several cassettes that looked nothing like the homemade demos I had been carrying around. Flipping it over, I saw the song title, producer credits, and that coveted record label logo, RCA, with the Little Dog Nipper.

That's when it hit home for you, I guess, you know, wow, I have made it.

BLACK: Yes. Every bit of emotion and stress and worry I've been dragging around all those years, pushing down. I was able to let go of those. And I sat there and just sobbed. It was such a relief that I couldn't hold onto it anymore.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That was a really tender moment. It was so nice that you shared that, because I think a lot of people don't realize just how personal, you know, how that kind of punctuates your part of your journey, a really important part of your journey.

And I know that was 1989. You know, I remember that because I was working in Dallas at a television station there. And one of my favorite photographers that I worked with on a daily, I mean, he loved you to the point where he would play "Killin' Time" in our news vehicle before we drove off for every shoot.

So, yes, you have fans that run very deep and connect with your storytelling music. I mean, was it -- did that kind of make it easy then to title this book on that classic "Killin' Time?"

BLACK: Yes. I grew up with a fatalistic view of my future. I had friends dying around me from car crashes, hit on a bicycle or a motorcycle, or overdoses, cancer. And I just didn't see any reason why I would be lucky enough to live to 16 or 18, or 21, or 25. I finally accepted that I might be around a while.

And so time has always been very precious treasure to me. And I've written many songs on the subject. So I thought that's really. It's kind of ironic because I haven't been killing time, but it speaks

to that view I had of it all.

WHITFIELD: Yes. You've been working really hard. I wonder, you know, while you have been inspiration to so many people, you know, artists and otherwise, I wonder who has inspired you along the way.

BLACK: Boy, you know, the artist -- the list of artists in country would be obvious. I think I learned -- my dad showed me at an early age how to read the liner notes, and so I recognized the difference between artists and songwriters, and I wanted to be the latter.

And so, I gravitated to the Eagles and Willie and Waylon, and Merle Haggard and Loggins and Messina, Jackson Brown, all of those singer songwriters, JT and Buffett, and they set the bar that I strive to meet.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. Well, you've set the bar and beyond. Clint Black, thank you so much. What a great honor to talk to you. Love the book. Thank you so much.

And next time, you know, got to meet up in Nashville. You know, this far away thing, it's killing me right now.

BLACK: It's a great time talking with you.

[15:55:10]

WHITFIELD: Talking about "Killin Time."

BLACK: Yes, we can eat dinner out after 8:00 now. So come on, it's, it's a fun town. We'd love to have you here.

WHITFIELD: OK. We're going to have to make it happen, all right. Clint Black, great to see you. Thank you so much. BLACK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

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